Nine Things You Must Do Before Launching Your Business

So, your business is set up and you think you are ready to launch… here is a simple check list to make sure that your marketing ducks are all in a row.

There is so much to do when setting up a new business and some items are forgotten or maybe considered less important, however there are certain elements of marketing which really do need to be in place for an effective launch.

Branding

- Have you run your branding (logo and company design elements) through all your customers touch points? Don’t forget your email signature and finance documents too. Every touch point, BtoB and BtoC, should have a consistent look and feel. Also think about your mission, vision and brand promise. Write these down and stick these on a wall that you look at often, just to remind yourself of how you want your business to be positioned.

Targeting

- Do you know who your main business target is? If you are BtoC business then their age, where they live, ethnicity, income bracket, marital status, male or female etc. If you are BtoB business, then business size, location, key decision makers etc. You might have a range of targets, so work out who are the core group/s and then add the sub-groups. Write these down and keep them handy, you need to think about who you are targeting for all your marketing activities. I have always really liked the very apt Robin Sharma’s quote “You will never be able to hit a target you cannot see.’’

Website

- Is your website search engine optimised? If you are not page one of google for a branded search (a search with your company name) then you need to resolve this before your launch. SEO is a huge part of online marketing so well worth investing some time in getting this right from the beginning.

Google business listing

- Have you added or claimed a google business listing and completed the information? Make sure you take control of your listing just in case someone else does. It undermines your credibility in the eyes of your clients/customers if you don't claim it yourself.

Customer relationship management

- Have a strategy ready for interacting with your customers as part of the sales funnel. This doesn’t need to be complicated and you can have simple templates ready to go. Think about how you will respond to pre-sales enquiries and your post sale follow up. You can use phone calls, email, whatsApp, social media messenger etc - just make sure you have a plan. It doesn’t need to be fancy, but it does need to happen.

Social media channels

- Depending on your business type you should look at least one channel. If your business is mainly BtoB then make sure your Linkedin page is active, if you are BtoC then focus on TikTok, Facebook, snapchat or Instagram – whatever best fits the profile of your customers.

Database

- From the get-go make sure you have a plan for GDPR. Have a strategy for data protection compliant collection, storage and cleanup.

Review sites

- There are great review sites now for pretty much every type of business. Have a strategy ready for driving your customers to submit reviews and have a plan for monitoring review sites and responding to the reviews.

Marketing plan

- Create a marketing plan for your 1st year of operation and then a top-line plan for the first three years. For a small business it doesn’t need to be complicated however you must have a plan. This quote sums it up perfectly… “If you don’t know where you are going, you’ll end up someplace else.” Yogi Berra, former New York Yankees catcher

If you have these nine things is good shape then you are ready to launch!